For centuries, the residents of Angeles took nearby volcanoes of Mount Pinatubo and Mount Arayat for granted. That changed suddenly on June 15, 1991, when Pinatubo, the larger of the two volcanoes, literally blew itself apart, sending a column of ash and rock 40 km into the air. The mountain lost 300m in height, and fine dust and fist-sized fragments of rock rained rained down on nearby Angeles, Clark Airbase and Subic Bay.
Compounding the catastrophe, a savage typhoon chose this moment to lash northern Luzon, turning the ash into lethal lahar (mobile volcanic mud), which flooded downhill from the volcano with dire
consequences. In Zambales province to the west of Mt. Pinatubo, lahar flows rerouted rivers and sank entire villages under newly formed Lake Mapanuepe.
The journey up Mount Pinatubo (1450 m) is one of the Philippines' top adventures and can be done as a long day trip from Manila. The jumping off point is Santa Juliana, near the base of the mountain's slope, about a 40km journey from Angeles city. From there you can walk all the way up the mountain with an Aeta guide (this is a two day trek with an overnight at the crater), or you can take a 4WD most of the way up then walk the final one to two hours to the creater.
From the crater you can take a dip in the chilly blue waters of the crater lake or just wander through the canyons and lahar flows of this surreal moonscape. Camping is possible in designated camping areas.
Many tourists do this trip on an expensive organised tour from Angeles or Manila. But you will save a lot of money getting to Santa Juliana on your own and hooking up with an Aeta guide or one of the two companies that run the 4WD trips below:
PDC (tel. 045 493 0031, 0929 702 5058)
Santa Juliana 4x4 Association ( tel. 0919 608 4313)
For foreigners the 4WD trips cost P4000/2000/1500 per person for groups of one/two/three persons, including lunch and a P50 conservation fee. By comparison, travel agencies in Angeles charge P6500/4000/3000, including transfers from Santa Juliana. Aeta guides cost about P700 per day. Bring plenty of water and sunscreen.